Fairview Fire District Proposed Budget

The board of fire commissioners must adopt a proposed budget and, subject to certain public hearing requirements, hold a public hearing on the proposed budget on the third Tuesday in October. The proposed budget must be adopted by resolution of the board of fire commissioners on or before the 21st day prior to the public hearing. At least five days prior to the date of the hearing, notice of the hearing must be published at least once in the fire district’s official newspaper or in a newspaper having general circulation within the district1. Similarly, at least five days prior to the date of the hearing, a copy of the notice must be posted on the signboard maintained by the town clerk of each of the towns in which the fire district is located. The notice must also be posted on the municipal and/or fire district websites, if such websites exist. The notice must state the time and place where the hearing will be held, the purpose of the hearing, and that a copy of the proposed budget is available for inspection during office hours in the offices of the fire district secretary and the town clerk in each town in which the district is located. For a fire district that maintains a website, the notice of hearing must also state that the proposed budget is posted there as well.

After the public hearing, the board of fire commissioners can adopt changes, alterations, and revisions to the proposed budget. The budget must be adopted by November 4th and filed, along with the district’s fund balance statement to the town clerk of each town in which the fire district is located by November 7th. Neither the town budget officer nor the town board may make changes to the fire district budget. The town budget officer is required to attach the adopted budget, to the annual town budget. The fire district budget, as attached to the annual town budget, will be sent to the county for the levy of taxes for fire district purposes. Joint fire districts must also file a certified copy with the clerk of each village in which the district is located. Once the budget is adopted, it becomes a public document that the district secretary must make available to the public. The district secretary is required to reproduce a sufficient number of copies for distribution to the public upon request, without charge.